Process of generating gas.



No. 852,930. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

J. R. OOUTTS.

PROCESS OF GENERATING GAS. APPLICATION FILED JANJO, 1906.

repairing and the like.

m elbfil tort along both broad faces thereof. By this meansit is in somecases possible to insure a better application of the heat than wherevery thick masses are employed. 'lhestraw, as thus formed, is'thensubjected to distillation by means of an apparatus suitenie for thepurpose. 'In practice, a suitable conveyer l may be em loyed in order toconveniently transport t ebales from the press to said apperetus.

' This apparatus is adapted for the utilization of what has been foundto be e. highly important principle, namely, that by 3730." gressivelyheating successive portions 0' the straw, beginning at that portionadjacent the discharge pipe, so that the volatilized prod note will passthrough the incandescent solid,

carbonaceous skeleton preliminary to'their I means, which is hereschematically shown as consisting of a plurality of burners 10, 11, 12,13, 14 and 15, each provided with suitable regulating cocks in orderthat they may be brought into effective action in the desiredsequence,as will now be set forth. The basis of the distillation, that is to say,the bale of straw or the like, is so introduced into the retort as to becapable of being progressively subjected to the action. of the heatwithin successive zones 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 throughout the length.thereof by means of the aforesaid burners; the heating pro gressing fromthe discharge end. The fur uace may also be provided with baffle plates22 for insuring a complete circulation of the heated gases around theretort, and an exit for the waste gases is shown by 23.

In carrying out this process in practice, it is to be understood that itis immaterial whether the straw be translated through the apparatus inorder to subject successive portions of it to the zones of high terniereture C: I L

the straw within the retort.

Whether the heated means he onus change so as to heat successive porti.

Thus, intermittent type of retort shown, ventiou furthermorecontemolates the use an apparatus oi". a continu type so designed thatthe strmvmey be continuoi led through the retort and thereby obi. thedesired effect.

The operation of the devise in carrying on the process is as follows: 1"-esh cl".

straw is introduced into the retort and-that burner 10-, which isnearest the escape con duit 8, is ignited, resulting ina carbonizing ofzone 16 to a complete degree and, perha s, carbonizing the adjacent zone17 to a relh tively less degree. .It will be noted in this connectionthat the gases from zone 17- are compelled to pass throughtheincandescent zone 16 before being enabled to esca e the re completelyexpelled and, at the same, time, the adjacent zone 18 will receive asimilar rel ativcly incom lete heat treatment. The heat treatment willlikewise be progressively carried out from the escapinge nd of theretort to the farther end, until no furtherfg generation otgaseousproduct is realized. It I will, of course, be understood that, in lieuof the single bale, a plurality of'bales may be employed and treated insequence in the same manner as in the foregoing case, although it may bestated that such single bale will in many cases be preferred, the invention is not to be limitedin any respect to the manner in which the strawmay be mtroduced into the retort, or the precise form of the same; thus,a pulverant mass may be cm- I ployed, if so desired, in carryingout theinvention. I

In order that a suitable collectionof by- I products may be had and thatsuch purification as may be desired may be made, a tarcondensing orreceiving chamber 24 may be included in the course of the flow of theescaping products, and to separate out the more liquid products,commonly. known as pyroligneoup acid, acondensing coil 25 is. mclosed bya suitable water jacket .25 and is in connection at its lower end with accllec tion chamber 2'7, in order that the aforesaid fliquid productsmay accumulate therein. To

attains suiteble purification of the residual products, should this bedeemed desirable, a number of chambers 28 and 29 containing limeprothersuitable materialmay, be interposed, and to finally receive the valuables, e large reservoir 30 will be positioned t the terminus of the escapeconduit,

in commercially carrying out this invention, a plurality of retorts maybe employed J and the carbonization may alternately take placethroughout the series, the escaping gassous products being caused topass through the iiicandesccnt mass in the last heated retort, which ismaintained at a high temperature, and other variations in the manner ofcarrying out the process may be resorted to.

pereture, subjecting a portion of s mess of straw to the influence ofsaid zone or? distilling temperature and causing it relative in ovementbetween said zone of distilling temperature and. said straw in adirection such that the products of distillation pass on their way to adischarge opening thrmigli and have an intimate contact with the messsubjected to prior distilling temperatures 5. The process of producing acombustible gas of high. calorific power substmitiolly free.

fronflcarbon (liOXlLl, consisting in obtaining a suitable quantity of agremineous material in nativeorre'w condition and in a relativelycompact stiite; introducing said material into a closed retort,supcrheating said retort and contents to a distilling temperaturemeanwhile excluding air from the interior thereof,

maintaining such distilling temperature until substantially all thecombustible volatile and 20 gaseous products have been driven of? fromsaid nmteriel. Withdrawing said products through a passage or zonemaintained at a high temperziture and filled with a. porous incandescenthighly oarboniferous mass, whereby said products during saidwithrirziwel will be positively compelled to thor onghly infiltratethrough and be brought into intimate contact with said incandescent Imess and be improved in quality thereby, 5o

e iil finally suitably storing the resultant gas. in tel, imony whereof.l aflix my signature in the presence oi two Witnesses.

JAMIE RUSSELL COUTTS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT F. NATHAN, R. S. BLAIR.

